Oak-lined country lane threatened with buzz of saw

DALFSEN – Critics call plans to remove trees along the characteristic oak treed lane, the Poppenallee, which continues as the Rechterensedijk at some point, the destruction of a landscape. A map from 1742 reveals that the route, then a dirt road, bordered an estate, which contributed property to the road project. Now with traffic hemmed in by rows of large oak trees, traffic engineers prefer road safety over historic landscape scenery. Nearby estate owners prefer the preservation of the former tree-lined lane, with speed limits controlling traffic. The Poppenallee, most likely named after the Poppe family, was renovated in recent years thanks to a government grant but is basically too narrow for its purpose and the site of numerous accidents. Posting speed limits goes only so far, they say. One driver challenged it recently and was clocked going nearly 180 kilometers an hour between the giant oaks.